The one who gets left behind
by Ejes
Summary: Larxene is in a GOOD mood. This is so unusual that it catches Xigbar's and Marluxia's attention right away. And since the number XII is not going to share her secrets so easily, it is up to Marluxia to find out what she could be hiding...


_**Hello and welcome to a fic where Marly stole ALL the spotlight when he wasn't even supposed to have a real role. I blame KHUX for that. Anyway, no khux really involved in there to be honest, just some good old a-bit-before-KH2-Org-XIII stuff! Enjoy!  
[thank you so much DicedPears for telling me I posted the wrong thing, oops XDD]  
**_

* * *

It was an everyday morning in the Castle that Never Was. Saïx was giving assignations to people, Xigbar was sitting in his favourite sofa, the one that was placed so that he could judge everyone, Marluxia was drying his hair and Larxene doing her nails.

"Hey. Hear that, kiddo? What's that buzzing I hear?"

No one really paid attention to Xigbar. No one really paid attention to no one, in this place. But the one eyed man frowned, looking around.

"Seriously, though. I swear, Marluxia, if your heckin' flowers brought some bugs in…"

"Don't blame my flowers just because you can't stand a touch of joy in here, Xigbar," the pink haired man said in a sigh. "Besides, that's no buzzing. That's…" He frowned as well, looking at his female colleague. "Larxene, are you _humming_?"

"What if I am? Are there laws against it? Did Xemnas said _Thou shalt not sing_ with a big, ominous voice? If he did, tell him to piss off." She didn't even stop what she was doing, really focused on her nails. Xigbar had told her several times that she was wearing gloves and had no reason to paint her hands like that. She would gladly show him the delicate decorations of her middle finger every time.

"Now _that's_ suspicious," Xigbar cackled. "You're never in a good mood, and yet that's at least the third time this month you look almost cheerful. At whose expense is that?"

Her eyes darkened as she closed the nail polish bottle. "Well, if that's how I get treated for not being in a bad mood, there's no wonder I treat you all like pieces of trash on a daily basis. Arseholes." She left the room without sparing them a single look.

"Oopsie daisies, looks like we crossed the lady." Xigbar let out a cold, harsh laugh, that Marluxia ignored. There was something wrong with Larxene, he was sure of that. If not wrong, at least out of the usual. He knew her enough to know that she would push people away with harsh words when she didn't want them to sniff around too much. But, of course, that wasn't much of his business either. He took his leave as well, heading to his room to get his coat before leaving for his mission. But as he walked by Demyx's door, her heard a hushed voice that wasn't the musician's. What would Larxene be doing in here?

"I swear, Demyx, if anyone finds out about this, you'll be the first one I'll kill. Are we clear?"

"Who do you think I am? I like staying alive, thank you very much. Of course I won't tell anyone." Hearing footsteps behind the door, Marluxia hurried to his room. He wouldn't want them to know he was eavesdropping. He took his coat, zipped it up and brushed his hair one last time before leaving his room very casually, as if he had not witnessed any unusual conversation. But when he spotted Larxene stepping into a dark corridor for her mission, he went straight to Saïx.

"You will be going to Agrabah today," the blue haired man said coldly. Marluxia pretended to look surprised.

"Agrabah? I thought Larxene told me this would be her world today. Did I get it wrong?"

"I guess you did." Saïx sounded highly not interested. "We sent her to the Land of Dragons."

"Oh, I see. My mistake, then. I'll be on my way." He smiled at Saïx who completely ignored him and opened up a portal. Agrabah could wait. This was none of his business, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to be curious.

* * *

The wind in the Land of Dragons was blowing gently, welcoming him with fall golden leaves flying all around. He had not been there in a while. They were supposed to keep an eye on both the Emperor of this land and on the chief of an army, and to make sure nothing would stop the upcoming war. There was no Princess of Light in this world, at least none they were aware of, but this world had a great potential to help everything fall to Darkness. Wars did this to worlds. He knew this firsthand.

He was curious about Larxene's mysterious story, but also wanted to visit this world a bit. For a place on the brink of war, it was incredibly peaceful, and Marluxia made a note to visit more often. The quiet of nature suited him more than a building full of hostile and noisy people.

He walked through a village where people ignored him. The coat usually did this - they weren't really invisible, but somehow people wouldn't pay attention to them unless they wanted them to. Really convenient. They would remember seeing "someone in a black coat", but wouldn't bother them as long as they were here. But that also meant he couldn't ask them if they had seen Larxene, which was troublesome right now. The only path left was the one leading to the mountain. Had she climbed up there? He remembered very clearly how she disliked the cold. Then again, she was usually so annoying that it would make sense Saïx would only send her to places she hated.

As he was making his way to the mountain, though, he walked by a cave where voices could be heard. Voices, and laughters. One of them he clearly recognized, even though it felt as if she had not laughed in front of him in years. He obviously decided to sneak in and have a look, staying hidden in the shadows.

The cave was lit up by candles. It looked like there was an altar by the far off wall, but that's not was caught his attention. Demyx was sitting with his sitar in hand, a huge grin on his face. Her back to Marluxia, Larxene was standing, clearing her throat.

"Okay, here we go."

And Demyx started playing. Marluxia had never really paid any attention to his music before, and discovered with a lot of surprise he wasn't half bad. He was actually good. The music was really nice, the notes carrying a happiness he wasn't supposed to feel. When Demyx played, Marluxia felt lighter, his worries gone. And suddenly, Larxene started singing.

He had never heard her sing before. Hum a few times, sure. Especially lately. But singing? That was a first. Her voice was surprisingly sweet and clear. And even though he couldn't see her face, it was obvious by her tone that she was smiling, that she was happy. Happier than he had seen her since they joined the Organization.

So that was her secret. She didn't hate Demyx as much as she pretended, even though she had too much pride to acknowledge that ; and spending time with him helped her relax and endure life.

Marluxia smiled, putting his hood on and taking his leave. He had what he had come for. He had no interest in meddling with her private life any further. She was happy, and this was all he needed to know. He opened a portal straight to Agrabah without sparing the cave a last glance.

* * *

At the end of the day, after he did his daily report to Saïx - yes, the man named Jafar would probably be a decent vessel for Darkness once again- he had the (unpleasant) surprise to find Xigbar waiting for him in the empty hall. The man had his usual up-to-no-good smirk on and his arms crossed as he nodded at Marluxia.

"Found anything interesting?"

"In Agrabah? Well, there is a cave full of gold, if you're into material possessions, but…"

"Not what I'm asking. You followed her, didn't you? That portal you opened, I know it didn't lead to Agrabah. Now, what I'm asking is, found any explanation for the lady's strange behaviour? A hidden lover in the Land of Dragon perhaps?"

Marluxia leaned forward, whispering to Xigbar.

"I think you should try to make your own life interesting, rather than finding interest in other people's lives. I'm not into gossiping, so why don't you find someone else to tell you cute little stories?" He turned back, leaving the man behind.

* * *

Later on that day, Larxene walked in, humming. Marluxia recognized the melody Demyx had been playing earlier. And, speaking of the devil, the poor boy stepped in right after her, his eye circled in black.

"Today was really a good day, now, wasn't it?" she said, giggling, throwing herself into a sofa.

"How so?" Xigbar asked, staring at Marluxia rather than at her, as if saying "I'll find the answer on my own".

"Why, it's all thanks to Demyx of course!" She cackled. "Look at his dumb face! Any day I can beat him up is a good day to me!" She started humming again, looking very satisfied.

Marluxia noticed Xigbar lost his interest right away. Larxene being happy for bullying Demyx was nothing out of the ordinary, no interesting gossip for him. But the number XI also caught the glance the two other exchanged. Demyx didn't really look that miserable, and Marluxia wondered if the bruise was actually real or just makeup. And they both had that spark in their eyes, a shared laughter they couldn't let out in here, a secret they couldn't tell anyone.

It gave Marluxia a very weird, mixed feeling, some sort of weight on his chest, as well as feeling lighter.

He had seen her going through the worst, feeling at her lowest, and he had always been there for her, knowing that this would never be enough. Seeing her finally smile, act relaxed in front of someone, being happy after years of being angry all the time, was something he had longed for and he couldn't be happier to know that she was at last fine. But that came with the price that he indeed had not been enough, that someone else had taught her to be happy, that someone else shared her secrets.

Larxene had finally found a way to enjoy life. But it looked like that way involved leaving him behind.

* * *

**_This fic's lore : I don't expect Larxene to be an incredibly talented singer, but she can sing in tune (which is more than I can tbh) with a fairly decent voice! She however has too much pride to allow herself to look truly happy in front of others because she feels vulnerable. Also because she despises them all and is actually pretty grumpy anytime she sees their dumb faces. She only relaxes when she's with Marluxia (or Demyx, as it turns out), but they are way past a cheerful relationship and they both are pretty dark so even when they hang out together, they do chat but neither of them cheerfully laughed for a while now. _**

**_Hope you enjoyed :D Work is taking a lot of my time so I don't know when there will be another fic (or a Star in the Dark update...) but please follow me to know when that happens!_**


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